Dual isotope studies in nuclear medicine imaging

Abstract

A gamma camera system is described in which counts are scatter corrected using multiple windows located in the vicinity of a photopeak. Pixel data is thereby scatter corrected prior to image formation. The system is useful-in nuclear medicine studies using dual isotopes such as stress and lung perfusion studies, wherein count data of the multiple isotopes are acquired simultaneously.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A nuclear camera system in which pixel data is scatter corrected prior to image processing comprising: 
 an acquisition subsystem which acts to acquire counts in the vicinity of a photopeak in multiple energy windows, including a scatter corrector which acts to correct for scatter in real time by mathematically combining the counts of the multiple energy windows; and    an image processor coupled to the scatter corrector which produces an image from scatter corrected count data.    
     
     
         2 . The nuclear camera system of  claim 1 , wherein the acquisition subsystem acts to simultaneously acquire counts from multiple radionuclides producing emissions at different energy levels.  
     
     
         3 . The nuclear camera system of  claim 2 , wherein the radionuclide producing emissions at the higher energy level produces background scatter at the photopeak at the lower energy level.  
     
     
         4 . The nuclear camera system of  claim 3 , wherein the radionuclides are used in a stress study.  
     
     
         5 . The nuclear camera system of  claim 4 , wherein the radionuclides are Tc and Tl.  
     
     
         6 . The nuclear camera system of  claim 3 , wherein the radionuclides are used in a lung perfusion study.  
     
     
         7 . The nuclear camera system of  claim 6 , wherein the radionuclides are Tc and Xe.  
     
     
         8 . The nuclear camera system of  claim 1 , wherein the act of mathematically combining is an additive process.  
     
     
         9 . The nuclear camera system of  claim 1 , wherein the act of mathematically combining is a subtractive process.  
     
     
         10 . The nuclear camera system of  claim 1 , wherein the scatter corrector acts to correct for scatter on a pixel by pixel basis.  
     
     
         11 . The nuclear camera system of  claim 1 , wherein the multiple energy windows are overlapping.  
     
     
         12 . The nuclear camera system of  claim 1 , wherein the multiple energy windows occupy adjacent energy channels.  
     
     
         13 . A method for performing a nuclear medicine lung perfusion study comprising: 
 applying a first carrier labeled with a first radionuclide to the blood flow system which becomes distributed in capillaries of the lungs;    applying a second carrier labeled with a second radionuclide to the lungs by inhalation; and    imaging both radionuclides simultaneously with a gamma camera.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the first carrier is macro-aggregated albumin.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first radionuclide is Tc.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the second carrier is a gas.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the second radionuclide is Xe.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein imaging is performed while the second labeled carrier is being applied.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein imaging comprises producing a first nuclear image of a radionuclide distributed in a lung on the basis of blood flow; and 
 producing a second nuclear image of a radionuclide distributed in a lung on the basis of aeration.